STAN GETZ TO BLAME FOR WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS!(?!)

The daily Stockholm newspaper.
Dagens Nyheter Oct 14 2008 edition, concluded that Stan Getz was partly to blame for the financial crisis now plaguing the world. The reason: After an article in the New York Times
"Taking a hard new look at a Greenspan legacy"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/business/economy/09greenspan.html

The Swedish paper concluded that things might have been different had Greenspan pursued a musical career.

Translation:

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS – A QUESTION ABOUT JAZZ
Who’s to blame for the financial crisis?
I would say Stan Getz, the eminent jazz musician who died 1991.
New York Times October 8th is saying in an article with the heading “Taking Hard New Look at a Greenspan Legacy”, in which one’s explaining why his far too liberal marked politics made room for today’s catastrophe.
People who have read the memoirs of Greenspan published last autumn, knows that Greenspan started his professional career in various Big Bands in the New York area. One day he had to sit next to Stan Getz and he heard him play. He then realized that he would never achieve the musical level Getz already was on. He decided to change course and become an economist in stead. The rest of the story we all know
What if he never met Stan Getz?
AN EVEN NOW THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELIEVE JAZZ IS IMPORTANT!
Bengt Säve-Söderbergh

http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

Turning to music and baseball

ALAN GREENSPAN: Then, I decided that baseball was my thing. And I was actually getting very good, but at the age of 14, I hit a plateau and I never improved.

JIM LEHRER: You were a left-hander, first baseman, right?

ALAN GREENSPAN: I was a left-handed first baseman. I hit the ball pretty well. Then, I got into music, and I became a professional musician for a couple of years.

JIM LEHRER: Played the clarinet...

ALAN GREENSPAN: Clarinet, saxophone, flute, bass clarinet.

JIM LEHRER: Which one did you enjoy the most?

ALAN GREENSPAN: I actually enjoyed the clarinet the best, but I was a fairly good amateur, but a moderate professional. But what really did me in is I had, as an amateur, had to play next to Stan Getz. I was 16; he was 15. I decided, "Do I really want to be in this business?"

JIM LEHRER: Why, because he was so good?

ALAN GREENSPAN: Oh, my god.

JIM LEHRER: Was he really good?

ALAN GREENSPAN: And he was one of the really historic famous sax players. And the best economic decision I ever made in my life was to decide to leave the music business and go into economics.

"p.s. So how did you end up in the Getz gang?"... Well... just plain old rotten luck I guess!!(-: (just kidding!)I don't know - I guess it was just the good Lord's plan for me! Stan was my dad. I didn't have much say in the matter!

Wonderful story Esquizito! Thank you for sharing it. I have a similar one... My daughter went through 4 years at Manhattan School of Music. Flute performance major. A student of Michael Parloff. (NOT to sound like a 'stage mother'!) but she is a very talented musician, (classical). She suffered through those 4 years with undiagnosed chronic neurological Lyme disease. As you can imagine, she was very ill and had to drop out of school the last semester of her senior year. I'm happy and relieved to say that she has made a complete recovery. But those difficult years caused her to lose her heart for music. I can't say I'm all that sad about it, as I was worried about her taking the path of a life in music as I know how heart-breaking a life this can be. The point of my relating all this is that now she has found her true path and is carrying a 4.0 in Bio-Physics. She recently won a scholar award where she will be attending the Inauguration with other recipients of this award. Which naturally she is very honored and excited about.

It's clear to see from your story about Mr. Fournier and my daughter how MUSIC AND MATH truly go hand in hand! Early education really needs to embrace this fact and place more importance on all kids being involved in music programs. Had it not been for her music ed, I'm not sure she would have found her way to her passion for physics!

Here, I see proof that Jazz music is, generally speaking, more challenging than large-scale economic management. Maybe as challenging as being President of the United States.

I'll take this opportunity to relate to you a little story. A few weeks before August 29th, 2005, I was hangin' at The Spotted Cat, on Frenchmen Street. It was a Sunday evening during a straight ahead set which was by that point routinely turning into a jam session. Some of the regulars on this gig: Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown (tmp,) Devin Philips (tnr,) Gene Black (drms.)

There was a young alto saxophonist - maybe 17 or 18 years old - whom I, and others on the scene, were unfamiliar with. He was blowin' us all away! His tone, commanding. His phrasing, inventive and pleasing. He seemed to have both fire and restraint in equal, ample amounts. Too often, these characteristics are not in the arena of younger players. He also had a Bird-like intensity in his eyes.

At the break, I approached him with compliment and encouragement. I asked him if he was from New Orleans. He informed me that, yes he was. He was a Fournier, and gave me the impression that yes, drummer Vernel Fournier was a member of his family tree. Vernel Fournier is the drummer on Ahmad Jamal's classic live recording of "Poinciana." That groove, gently infectious, which Vernel mildly proclaimed in 1958, is still an inspiring and innovative approach to the New Orleans street beat.

Young Fournier, a pleasant and amiable man; not overly shy or diminutive but welcoming and patient. I asked him if he was in any of the Jazz studies programs in town. "No, I'm going to school in Boston." My interest expanded, as I myself spent some formative years at Berklee. Thus, I inquired: "Oh... Berklee? or New England Conservatory?" He grinned: "No, I'm at MIT." Me, still not getting it: "Huh... so MIT has a Jazz studies program?" Quietly and proudly he declared: "No, I'm studying Physics."

DING-DING-DING!!! If the doors had been opened to him in 1955, John Coltrane might very have opted for a career in Astro-physics. But perhaps not economics.

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